Thanks to You
by MadokaKotone
Summary: Before Nationals, Syusuke informs Sakuno of how his tennis came to be. What surprised Ryuzaki was how much of it was influenced by her. When Nationals comes to an end, what does Fuji have in store for her? SyusukeSakuno. Now a multi-chapter story.
1. The Reason He's Called a Tensai

Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.

* * *

Thanks to You

* * *

"Syusuke… Syusuke?" Ryuzaki Sakuno pressed her hand on the tensai's forehead. She smiled as his eyes fluttered open to reveal that stunning shade of blue that always caught her off guard. Tilting her head in worry, she asked, "Are you okay?"

Fuji chuckled, "Saa, Sakuno. Don't worry." It was a couple weeks before the National tournament, and Sakuno and Fuji were having a picnic dinner under a looming oak on a hill. When they finished eating, Syusuke peacefully laid his head on his hands and Sakuno sat up looking at the stars. They went to that same spot on their free days to stay until the moon peeked out of the night sky. None of the regulars knew about these meetings, for Fuji had a very secretive side. Very.

Sakuno turned to him once more, "Is something wrong, Syusuke?" She was worried that he was drifting off to sleep. If he wanted to rest, they could go back home to their houses, "If you want, we can go now. The night sky will always be there."

Fuji then sat up and looked toward Sakuno with those crystal blue eyes, "Neh, you always say the loveliest things."

Blushing, Sakuno looked at the picnic blanket. She spoke from under her breath, "Is something bothering you, Syusuke?"

The boy leaned on his arms, "I'm just thinking…"

Sakuno looked up, curious, "About what?"

Syusuke chuckled, "About you, Sakuno. How you helped me with my tennis."

The girl sat up straight and looked at him, getting more curious by the second, "A-Ano? I…helped you?"

"Saa… Remember the egg hunt?"

* * *

It was a clear April day: the sky showed off its stunning shade of blue, and the birds that glided across its majesty twitted to-and-fro. The spring breeze subtly swayed the blossoming trees back and forth and allowed their newborn petals to flit around in its swirls. The squeals of little kids could be heard as egg hunts commenced and the scolding of adults was at a minimum, for the pleasurable weather was enough to suppress the adults' worry. A cheery voice could be heard far-off from a nearby egg hunt,

"Syusuke! Syusuke!" A six-year-old, auburn-haired girl in a spring dress skipped across a lush, green lawn. Hooked in her left arm was a bright-yellow Easter basket carrying a minimal number of eggs, but that didn't stop her from smiling. As she got closer to an older boy sitting in the shade of a sakura tree, she slowed down and hopped right next to him, "Syusuke, look what I found!"

The boy smiled with shut eyes and chuckled, "What is it, Sakuno?"

The girl's smile widened as she took something shiny out of her basket, "Tsubame! Tsubame!" It was a swallow carved out of silver, probably a charm that lost its carrier. Sakuno's face brightened as she wagged it in front of Syusuke's face, "Isn't it pretty?"

The boy frowned slightly, "Sakuno, you know that probably belongs to someone else…"

The little girl in the dress pouted, "B-but… Syusuke…" She was about to continue her protesting when the boy stood up and grasped the hand carrying her treasure. He smiled contentedly,

"Let's find its owner, okay? If we don't, you can keep it; if we do, I'll get you a better one, okay?"

Sakuno's face lit up, warming Syusuke's heart, "Really? You'd get me a better one?"

"Of course, Sakuno! Why not?"

The girl turned around in a flash, which in turn made her dress flow in the spring breeze. She turned back toward her friend and smiled brightly before running off, "Let's go, Syusuke!"

Syusuke opened his eyes, revealing a dazzling azure blue that blended quite nicely with the surrounding shades of spring. His smile added to the comforting atmosphere as he watched his best friend skipping along in front of him. As Fuji went to catch up with Sakuno, he wondered why the charm was so important to her.

Their search took a while, considering how many girls could have lost the swallow charm. Sakuno began to worry as she swiftly looked side-to-side wherever she went. She was running around so fast that even Fuji had trouble catching up with her at times. To make sure he was not going to lose her completely, he called her to him, "Sakuno-chan, wait!" He only called her by her name when they were alone. Sakuno stopped and looked back, only to smash her nose into his chest,

"Mmph?!"

Syusuke quickly stepped back and apologized, examining her face for any redness. When he saw nothing, he quickly took her hand in his, "Don't lose me, okay? I don't want you to get lost."

Sakuno nodded politely, "Okay, Syusuke-kun!" She then tugged him slightly, continuing her search. The motion made Syusuke chuckle to himself.

Much to Sakuno's dismay, they found the owner of the charm after a few more minutes of searching. It was an older lady in a bright green dress that matched her white sun-hat. When Sakuno and Syusuke asked her if she lost her charm and showed it to her, she bent down to Sakuno's level and kissed her on the forehead, "Thank you, darling!" As Sakuno reluctantly gave it back, the lady straightened up and explained further, "This was the first charm I received; it came from my husband."

Sakuno stood still, mesmerized by the woman's beauty. When she found out that the lady was very grateful, she was not as sad that she gave the charm back in the end. However, she was then saddened by the fact that the egg hunt was over and she did not have a lot of eggs. Sakuno was so excited about the charm that she finished the egg hunt long before it was over. As Sakuno walked with Syusuke back to her grandmother standing by their car, she kept looking down at the ground. Syusuke noticed her sudden change in mood and questioned, "What's wrong, Sakuno?"

The girl sighed, "I only have two eggs…"

Syusuke smiled, "Don't worry, Sakuno, I saved a bunch for you. I'll give them to you later, okay?"

Sakuno hopped giddily at her friend's kindness, "Thank you, Syusuke!" They were then a few steps away from where her grandmother was standing. Sakuno let go of Syusuke's hand that she had been holding the whole time and started toward her grandmother. She turned around, allowing her dress the flare one last time, "Syusuke, remember what you said!"

The boy's smile got bigger, "Heh, I know, Sakuno-chan. But tell me," he wanted to ask the question that bothered him the whole search, "Why did you like that charm so much?"

Sakuno smiled the biggest smile she could. Her eyes gleamed and she shouted before running to her grandma, "Swallows are my favorite animals!"

Syusuke chuckled before going back to his family.

* * *

"Ah! I remember the egg hunt!"

Syusuke chuckled again and started to stroke Sakuno's hair. He spoke into her ear, "Where do you think I got the name for my first triple counter?"

Sakuno blushed wildly, but attempted to calm herself down. Even though Fuji and she were very close, the sudden intimate gestures he made still made her heart skip. After taking Syusuke seriously, she thought to herself, "Tsubame… gaeshi… Oh! Haha! Syusuke, really?"

The tensai nodded and his hair tickled Sakuno's ear, "Wha! Syusuke!" She fidgeted for a second while the tennis player half-apologized, half-chuckled. She continued, "But, that's only one of your counters. The other two—"

"—Came from my experiences with you, too," Fuji softly cut in. He reminded her, "Don't you remember? I kept my word."

Sakuno smiled, "It's not like you to break it."

* * *

Two years had passed since that egg hunt, and Fuji was determined to keep his promise. As soon as he got home that evening, in spite of his mom's request to stay inside, he ran to the nearest jewelry store to find out how much a charm bracelet was. Peeking through the glass window, Fuji searched for the item he was looking for. "Saa…" He finally spotted a chain bracelet with an attached tag that read about fifty-five dollars in yen. With that delicate smile plastered on his face, Fuji whispered to himself, "Too easy. Sakuno is worth more than that."

During those two years, he worked on anything that could earn him money: mowed yards, fixed miscellaneous things, painted houses and even visited old ladies just to keep them company. When he finally saved up enough money to buy a charm bracelet complete with one, maybe even two charms, Fuji went over to Sakuno's house to ask if she would like to come over.

"Sakuno! Someone's at the door!" Sumire shouted from the kitchen.

"C-Coming!" the girl jumped up from the couch and sped towards the door. Her hair was now in little braids up to her shoulder blades and they bounced as she ran towards the door. She was wearing a little, yellow summer dress and sandals; evidently she just came from playing outside in the yard. When Sakuno opened the door, she was surprised to see her old friend standing there, "Ah! Syusuke!"

"Saa. Hi, Sakuno-chan."

"Hmph. Even though we haven't seen each other in so long, you can still call me Sakuno," the girl pouted.

Syusuke just chuckled, "If that's what you want," then we went on to ask, "Would Sakuno like to go play?"

The little girl smiled, "Okay! Let me ask—"

"—Syusuke! Very nice to see you!"

Sakuno jumped at the sound of her grandmother's harsh voice, "Grandma! You scared me!"

Syusuke looked up to Sumire, "Nice to see you, too, Ryusaki-san."

Sumire then pushed Sakuno out the door and shouted, "Go have fun," before slamming the door in Sakuno's nose.

"Ouch!" Sakuno was about to hold her nose when Syusuke cupped her chin and held it up. He squinted his eyes, "Are you okay? I'm sorry." After he put his hand down, he tilted his face and gave a questioning look.

"O-Oh… Yes, I'm fine," Sakuno took a while to respond. Not because she was hurt by the door, but because she could not stop staring at her old friend. He looked different somehow. He looked… handsome. Well, more handsome, or maybe Sakuno was started to care about appearances more than she did two years ago. His hair grew out, his skin was tanned, and he seemed to acquire more muscle than before. She wondered about this sudden change, so she noted politely, "Syusuke, you look different."

The boy laughed, "Is that why you didn't answer me?"

Sakuno blushed slightly, "N-No!" She then pushed for them to start walking, "Let's g-get going!"

While they walked out to the sidewalk, Syusuke decided to inform Sakuno of his activities. He finally got to have a nice talk with her after all this time, "If you really want to know, I've been doing a lot of work over the past two years." Still having that smile on his face, he continued, "I remembered what I said, Sakuno."

Sakuno turned to him as they hit a corner, "Syusuke… You didn't have to—"

Fuji's sincere expression cut her off, "You were very nice to return that charm, Sakuno, especially since you wanted to keep it. Of course I'm going to make sure you get a better one." Sakuno smiled, then turned to the right towards Syusuke's house. When she walked a couple steps, she noticed that Syusuke wasn't behind her. Sakuno turned around to see her friend chuckling to himself on the corner.

"A-Ano… Syusuke?"

The boy smiled, "Come with me, Sakuno. I'm taking you shopping."

They walked to the local jewelry store that was a couple blocks down. When they strolled through the glass doors, Sakuno could not believe her eyes. Inside were tons of crystal figures and cabinets stocked with shimmering rings and necklaces and everything else. Fuji turned to Sakuno while he jokingly asked, "Would you like to look around?"

"Y-Yes… Yes, I would," Sakuno stammered as she gazed lovingly at all of the wonderful adornments. As she was scanning the room, a lady walked up to the two of them and asked quite bluntly,

"Where are your parents?"

Syusuke turned to the clerk as Sakuno shrunk back behind him. As Sakuno grabbed his sleeve tightly, Syusuke answered politely, "They aren't here right now. We're here to buy something."

The lady, raising an eyebrow is disbelief, snorted, "I think you're lying. Get out, _brats_."

It was Syusuke's turn to raise an eyebrow. How dare this woman call Sakuno a brat? They didn't even do anything slightly harmful. His eyes fluttered open, revealing his dark blue orbs, "Please don't call my friend a brat."

The look in his eyes was so sudden and piercing that the clerk actually took a few steps back. "Fine," was all she could say, "What can I assist you with, _sir_?"

Syusuke then put his cheery expression back on as he answered, a little too sweetly for the woman, "We would like to buy a bracelet, please."

Dumbfounded, the woman sneered, "Over here, please."

Sakuno held on to Fuji's sleeve as he walked to the cabinet with the charms. The boy assured her, "It's okay, Sakuno-chan. You're fine." When they stood in front of the bullet-proof glass, Syusuke and Sakuno peered into it to see a plethora of charms. Sakuno finally let go of her friend's sleeve to take a closer look, "So many…" There were charms of every kind, from glittering sakura flowers to penguins to palm trees to sandals.

"Sakuno, go pick out a bracelet; I'll pick out your swallow charm for you." As she went over to the lady, Sakuno spotted something in the corner of her eye. There was a baby on the other side of the store who was playing with a small bunny-toy, and his squealing reached Sakuno's ears. She smiled, but the lady called her over to try on a bracelet.

"Hmm…" Syusuke found himself scanning the cabinet over and over. To his dismay, there was not a single swallow charm to be found. He doubted his keen sense of sight as he searched the cabinet again and again, but nothing. He was too lost in his search to see that the baby on the other side of the store was now reaching for a giant crystal bear on the counter, but Sakuno did.

The girl was done picking out a bracelet when she started walking and admiring the products of the store. By chance, she looked to where the baby was, only to see him grasping one foot of the bear. Sakuno's eyes widened, "That bear is going to—"As soon as she saw the bear tilt towards the baby, she ran as fast as she could. Making one last leap, she screamed, "Oh, no!"

A thump could be heard as Sakuno got there just in time to save the crystal bear from oblivion. The baby just looked at her with big brown eyes, and he giggled. Syusuke and the store clerk came rushing over, both oblivious up until now. Syusuke helped Sakuno up and held her shoulders, "Sakuno-chan! Are you all right?"

"Heh, I'm fine, Syusuke-kun!"

The store clerk breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you… That was our most expensive piece in the store." Suddenly she became so relieved that she told Sakuno that she could have a free bear charm for her actions. Syusuke was a little disappointed,

"Saa, Sakuno-chan, I know that the swallow is your favorite animal, but they don't have one."

The girl smiled, "Don't worry! Bears are my favorite animals, too! So are white whales!"

Syusuke smiled, "That's good to know."

As the two walked back to Sakuno's house, Sakuno kept admiring her new bracelet with a bear and whale charm clipped on. On the way, Sakuno remembered that her friend was now in middle school, so she asked him about it, "A-ano… Syusuke, how is middle school?"

Syusuke looked toward the sunset, "It's okay. I miss talking to you every day, though."

Sakuno looked down and sighed, "I miss talking to you, too… Don't worry, two more years and then I'll be in Seishun Gakuen, too!"

The boy chuckled, "I can't wait."

They got to Sakuno's house a few moments later, and Sakuno turned around before going into her humble abode, "Thanks for the bracelet, Syusuke!"

The boy smiled warmly, this time rewarding her with his azure eyes. He replied sweetly, "You deserve it, Sakuno. You saved that lady's baby, and her wallet," He ended his statement with a chuckle.

Sakuno laughed, "Haha! Well, the bear was about to drop on the baby! I had to save him!"

Syusuke kept his eyes open, allowing Sakuno to remember the exact color of his orbs. Syusuke caught her staring at him blankly and blushed slightly, "Saa, Sakuno?"

The girl gasped and opened the door quickly, "Uh… gomen! I'm sorry!" She rushed in the house so fast she had to catch herself from falling. She peeked out from the door to see Syusuke still smiling, "Umm, so I'll see you later?"

The boy chuckled, "Eh. And I promise it won't be after two ears again. Tell you what…" Syusuke closed his eyes for a moment to think, and he snapped his fingers in delight, "May Sakuno come to my tennis match on Saturday?"

The girl clapped her hands together and smiled brightly, "Of course, Syusuke!"

Fuji gave her one big smile before heading off, "Saa. Well, bye for now, Sakuno. See you soon."

"Bye, Syusuke."

* * *

"Higuma… Otoshi. Hakugei… You thought of those names because of me?" Sakuno could not believe that her senpai adopted all three names of the Triple Counter from experiences with her. To be honest, she felt special.

Fuji nodded, "Saa, Sakuno. Thanks to you."

When they were done reminiscing, the two packed up their things and headed down the hill. Syusuke started walking when he noticed that Sakuno wasn't following him. He turned around, "Sakuno? What's wrong?"

The girl was busy looking up at the sky. Snapping out of her reverie, she whispered, "Sorry. Hoshi… I saw a shooting star."

Fuji smiled, "Did you make a wish?"

Sakuno smiled, looking back up at the sky, "Yes, I did. I wished that you guys would win Nationals."

The boy chuckled slightly, "Ne, Sakuno, you know you're not supposed to tell people what you wished. It won't come true if you do that."

Sakuno looked back at him with cheery eyes, "It wasn't really a wish. I know it'll come true!"

Syusuke smiled in understanding, "Saa."

Sakuno went to join him, "Syusuke, do the others know about your meetings with me here?"

Syusuke turned to her, "No, Sakuno. They don't know. They think you have feelings for Echizen." He ended his reply in an usually sharp tone. Fortunately it was too obscure for Sakuno to catch.

"R-Ryoma-kun? They think I have feelings for…" Sakuno's thoughts began to take over. _Have I shown too much affection toward Ryoma-kun? I do use '-kun'… I don't have feelings for him, but they think I do… Maybe I did before, but… Not now. _

"Ne, Sakuno," the tensai was starting to feel Sakuno tense up, and he wanted to keep her comforted, "Let's go, okay? You need to rest; you've had a long day at school."

Sakuno nodded and walked with Syusuke back to her house. When they got there, Syusuke gave her a warm hug, "Sakuno, will you be there at Nationals?"

"Of course, Syusuke."

Syusuke smiled as they broke the embrace, "Good. When Nationals are over, I'm going to give you something."

The girl gasped, "What? Give me something? Syusuke, you don't have to—"

"—Shh. I want to. Thanks to you, my tennis has improved exponentially. Thanks to you, I'm known as a genius… I owe you," before Sakuno could reply, Syusuke turned and headed out, "Bye for now, Sakuno."

All the girl could do was stare. Finally mustering up enough courage, she yelled into the still night air, "B-Bye, Syusuke! Good luck!"

The boy turned to give one last wave, and was gone.

* * *

Fin

* * *

(A/N:) I'm still debating on whether to continue this story or not. I know I have a plot if you guys want one, so if this really interested you, please tell me. Thanks for reading!


	2. Be a Phoenix

Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis.

Note: Well, here you guys go! I really enjoyed writing the first "one-shot," so I was going to go ahead and continue the story anyways! Thanks for all of you guys' input, I greatly appreciate it.

* * *

I.

* * *

The two weeks before Nationals went by quickly. During that time, Syusuke and Sakuno had minimal meetings with each other. The tennis regular's rigorous schedule was partly the reason, because Sakuno also had a ton of projects to complete before the term was over.

One day, Sakuno really needed help on her "myths and legends" project. She had to write an essay and make a poster on a legend or myth she enjoyed. Ryuzaki was in a predicament because she did not know which one she wanted to choose. Taking a risk, she decided that she would consult Syusuke for help. However, he had quite a tight schedule with all of the training Inui was forcing them to do. The girl just decided to ask him about it only if she happened to run into him one day.

Sakuno's chance came right before the Seigaku tennis team was going to depart for pre-national training. She happened to meet Syusuke outside the locker room by the tennis courts. When she saw him, though, he was with three other regulars. Sakuno was about to call her close friend's name when she saw Momoshiro, Eiji and Ryoma come out with him. She caught herself,

"Syu—uhh… A-Ano…"

The four regulars turned to look at who was speaking. When they saw Sakuno, they greeted her with the usual,

"Hoi-Hoi! Ryuzaki-chan!"

"Oi, Echizen! There's your—"

"—Shut up, Momo-senpai."

"Saa. Hi, Ryuzaki-chan," Fuji was very careful to distance himself from Sakuno when around the others. Luckily, his close friend played along, even though it was to her expense most of the time. Sakuno just called Ryoma instead,

"Ryoma-kun…"

Echizen just looked at her with his cat-like eyes, "Oi, Ryuzaki."

Syusuke had a feeling that Sakuno wanted to talk to him alone, so he quickly turned on his sadistic side, which allowed him to scheme ten times as fast as he normally could. Devising something in his head within a matter of seconds, Fuji informed the other three regulars that the burger joint four blocks down had a two-for-one burger special. Seeing the drool seep down Eiji's and Momoshiro's throats told him that his plan worked. He urged them on, blue eyes shimmering,

"I heard that the burgers were more… succulent. The cows are much plumper this time of year, which contributes to the overall juiciness of the meat and makes it tenderer."

When the tensai was done with this convenient description, the other three regular's pupils magnified, including Ryoma's. Hearing enough, they sped down to the burger joint as fast as possible without any goodbyes. They were busy begging each other to be the unlucky one to pay.

Sakuno looked on, chuckling uneasily to herself. She then walked closer to Fuji and whispered, "A-Ano… Aren't the members supposed to be eating healthier, Syusuke-kun?"

Fuji turned to look at her, hand gripping the shoulder strap on his tennis bag like he usually did. He frowned slightly, "Saa, you can still call me Syusuke, Sakuno." Seeing his friend blush made him feel better, and he lightened the conversation for her, "Sakuno, did you want to talk to me?"

Ryuzaki nodded, "Y-Yes, I did. Is this a bad time?" She quickly got a sick feeling in her stomach, like the start of an anxiety attack.

Syusuke shook his head, "No, Sakuno. I had a feeling that you wanted to talk to me."

Hearing this made Sakuno's heart warmer for some reason. Syusuke still understood her after all these years, and she appreciated that. She guessed that being Seigaku's sadist also helped, with the mind reading and all, but just a little. Even after hearing this statement, though, she still felt shaky and unstable. The truth was that this project was make-it-or-break-it for her. Her grade in that class was her lowest grade, and it was close to failing. The rest of her classes were fine, and the projects in those classes were not as great of a challenge as this one.

Finding a nice, quiet bench by the courts, the two discussed Sakuno's project for a short time.

"So you can only pick one legend?"

"Yeah… But I have three favorites. What am I going to do?" Sakuno sat slumped playing with her auburn locks. She thought hard about this project for days, and she still couldn't come up with something. It started to scare her.

Fuji hinted at her sudden uneasiness, so he quickly came up with a plan to ensure that she would pick something and stick with it, "Sakuno, tell me about your favorite legends."

His friend looked at him, "U-Uhh… Okay. Well, one of my favorites is the phoenix, when the bird is born from the ashes."

Syusuke nodded, "Saa. Go on."

Sakuno continued, "Hmm, well my other favorite is the kirin, the mythical creature that brings prosperity. And my other one is the dragon."

Fuji looked up, "Ah, that is hard to choose."

Sakuno sighed, "Yeah… they are all very pretty."

Fuji looked back at her and said softly, "Not as pretty as Sakuno."

"Syusuke!" the girl blushed once again, making Fuji feel a little dominant. His sadist side got a hold him because he was teasing her so much. Having enough respect for her, though, Syusuke stopped there and became serious again. He smiled,

"Well, do you know which one I would pick?"

Sakuno looked at him with inquiring eyes, "Hmm? Which one, Syusuke?"

Syusuke opened his eyes and looked her way, "I would pick the phoenix."

Ryuzaki blinked at his sudden change of mood, "H-How come, Syusuke?"

The tensai smiled with his cerulean eyes still shimmering, "Because, it's a beautiful bird that comes from something as insignificant as ash. It's a symbol of hope, new life. It's also a symbol of perseverance, Sakuno, because no matter how many times it falls, it gets back up again, and rises from the ashes."

The look on his face revealed that he was serious about this, and it awed the girl next to him. Sakuno could not believe how perfect his answer was. Even if she sat in front of the computer for hours trying to write her essay (which she would), she would had never come up with anything that deep. She sighed automatically, "Wow… Thanks for your input, Syusuke. It makes me feel a lot better now that I can pick what I am going to do more easily."

Syusuke looked at her again, "Are you sure you want to do your project on the phoenix? You're comfortable with it?"

Sakuno raised an eyebrow, "Why not, Syusuke?"

The regular just smiled, "I'm just making sure you don't have to do so much work and that you're happy with your decision."

Sakuno smiled awkwardly, heart fluttering even more from his kindness, "Thank you, Syusuke. Th-That is very sweet of you." She then got up, arms holding her books close to her chest, and struggled to check her watch. The time read 4:15, so she decided that she had better head home and start her project. Even though it was due in a week, Sakuno was still overwhelmed. At least she was not going to end up having the feeling one gets when they choose to do something at the last minute.

We all know what that feels like.

She looked back at Syusuke, "Well, thanks for your input, Syusuke. I m-must be going now." The anxiety was getting to be too much for her, and she needed to get away quickly before Syusuke saw her cry.

The tensai tilted his head and questioned, "So early?"

Sakuno timidly answered, "Y-Yes. I w-want to get this done as soon as possible…" Suddenly she started to break down from all the stress that had taken over her. Her books dropped from her arms and she held up her hands to her face, "The term is almost over and I have a ton of stuff to do and I am really scared of my grades dropping and I am really stressed and—"

Sakuno felt strong arms wrap around her skinny frame and her face was buried in Syusuke's Seigaku jersey. Then, she felt Fuji's hand give her a delicate rub on her back. The tensai whispered in her ear, "Sakuno, come with me. I can help you." Suddenly Syusuke could feel Sakuno's back and shoulders rise and fall. She was crying,

"Syusuke, why is it that even though I try so hard at that class, I always end up failing?"

Fuji then held her out at arm's length and frowned, "Sakuno, what are you saying?"

Ryuzaki had tears running down her face, making small streams from her eyes that joined together at the bottom of her chin. Her soft brown eyes glimmered in the sunset, making her look like she had two twin puddles on her face. After hiccupping a few times, she continued,

"I feel as if no matter how hard I try, I fail. Everyone else seems to be doing just fine but me—"

"—Shh," Syusuke pulled her back to him and wiped away her tears. He could see the hurt in her eyes, and it sparked his protective side. Fuji wanted to make sure that those tears would never come back. He whispered, "Sakuno, you are a very smart girl. There are times where you aren't going to do so well, but that doesn't matter. What matters most is that you tried your best. Sakuno, look at me."

Ryuzaki looked up and came face-to-face with dazzling blue orbs. Her breath hitched, "Sh-Syusuke."

The tensai's face was stern with compassion, "Don't look down on yourself. Ever." He wiped the second coming of tears from her eyes, "I believe in you, Sakuno. Now it's up to you to believe in yourself."

She could hardly speak. Was she hearing Fuji correctly? Sakuno could not believe how firm he was being with her. It felt… comforting. Syusuke succeeded in calming her down, and what he said gave her a big confidence boost. Having the tensai of Seigaku tell her that he believed in her allowed Ryuzaki to think better of herself. She could only smile now.

Fuji smiled again in return, relieved that he could make Sakuno feel better, "Now, Sakuno, let's go work on your project."

* * *

The two worked diligently in the local library, Syusuke searched for books to give to Sakuno who read page after page after page. Finally, after three hours, the girl had enough research pages and notes that she was ready to write her essay. She looked at Fuji and smiled,

"Syusuke-kun, I think I'm done!" She then got up and collected all of the stuff she needed.

The tennis player smiled up at her from his position on a chair, "That's good. Do you want to go home now? I walk with you."

Sakuno shook her head, "It's okay! I can walk by myself, Syusuke-kun."

Fuji frowned and stood up, "Saa, Sakuno-chan, it's dangerous to be walking alone at this hour. Plus, it's about to rain."

Sakuno tilted her head, "What? But it's so—" As soon as Ryuzaki peered out the window, droplets began to pat on it lightly. The girl gasped, "Wha? Syusuke-kun, how did you know?"

"Heh, I didn't know," he chuckled while reaching into his tennis bag, "Here, I have an umbrella in my bag that we can use."

"Wha—?! Then of course you knew about the rain!"

* * *

They got to Sakuno's house in a matter of minutes. The two were lucky that the rain did not pound on them like it usually did; this time it came in light titters and taps on Syusuke's umbrella. When they got to the door, Sakuno hopped onto the porch and turned back to the tensai. Smiling very cheerfully, she called out to her friend who was standing a ways from where she was, "Syusuke, thank you for helping me with my project!"

Fuji laughed softly, "I didn't do anything, Sakuno. I just offered the moral support."

Sakuno nodded, "Mm, but that was all that I needed, Syusuke." This made the tennis player open his eyes. Chocolate brown met cerulean and the rain just made the atmosphere all the more alluring. Syusuke then looked away from Sakuno and up into the sky. He looked as if he was pondering something. Sakuno blinked at his actions and asked, "Syusuke, what are you thinking about?"

The tensai faced her again, "I leave for Nationals in two days, Sakuno."

His friend nodded slowly, "I know, Syusuke… I know."

"I'll…" Syusuke started to say something, but his speech drifted off in the rain. Sakuno blinked again as she waited for her friend to finish his statement. Thunder could be heard in the distance and the rain kept tumbling down lightly. The plip-plips of rain could be heard on Sakuno's roof and they were in sync with the tut-tuts on Syusuke's umbrella. After a seemingly long silent episode, Syusuke looked once again towards his friend, "I'll miss you, Sakuno."

The girl bunched up her lips, "I'll m-miss you, too, Syusuke." Then, she told him to wait before she went back into the house. After a little while, Sakuno emerged from the front door and ran to Fuji. He was a little ways off from the porch, so she got a little drenched by the pouring rain.

Syusuke frowned at her actions, but noted how lovely she looked just now, "Sakuno, don't get sick from the rain, go back insi—"

"—A-Ano… Syusuke," after cutting him off slightly, Sakuno took his hand and put something in it. It was the charm bracelet she had been saving in her jewelry box all this time. She did not wear it to school because she felt that she would wear it only on special occasions. She looked up at him, seeing herself in his dazzling eyes, "Keep this with you, for good luck."

The tensai opened his hand, and as soon as he saw the bracelet, his heart fluttered with happiness. He looked at his friend, "Saa, Sakuno…"

The girl looked down at the bracelet, "I hope you don't mind that I added another charm to it. See? Here," she pointed to a little dragonfly charm on the link right beside the white whale charm. She smiled at Fuji, "Isn't it pretty?" The dragonfly charm was a small, cerulean charm which was a little opaque on the wings. The color of the body was the exact same as Syusuke's eyes.

"It's very pretty, Sakuno. Thank you for letting me borrow this," Fuji felt warm inside, like he suddenly gained a huge boost of energy. He wondered how one girl could do something like this to him. Only Sakuno.

After she watched Syusuke admire the charm, Sakuno whispered, "When will I see you again?"

The tensai looked towards her, "Even if we don't see each other for a long time, I can still write you letters. Do you want me to do that, Sakuno?"

The idea of letters made the girl smile cheekily, "Okay, Syusuke! Letters it is!"

Fuji chuckled, seeing in this Sakuno the young Sakuno he knew. He was not going to see her for some time, but he did not care. Sakuno closed his hand over the bracelet and wished him good luck one more time before going into the house.

Syusuke watched her go, but could not let her leave him just yet. He called out to her when she got to the door. When Sakuno turned around, he said,

"Be a phoenix, Sakuno."

She smiled, "Mm." She then frowned and punched the air, hand pointing towards Syusuke, "Be a winner, Syusuke."

The boy turned to give one last wave, and was gone.

* * *

Fin

* * *

Note: Done with the first official chapter. Thanks for reading! Your input is always appreciated.


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